


Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

by QuickNKola



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Daniel is kind of a jackass, First story on camp camp, I'm trying to add more Gwen because Gwen needs more loving from this fandom, M/M, Max Cares, The trios here, Title is subject to change, Wheres the plot? not here, ok maybe a little plot, weekly updates??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-03-14 19:58:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13597266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuickNKola/pseuds/QuickNKola
Summary: David goes to the hospital and stumbles upon Daniel, eventually helping the cultist break out of the hospital. To show David his thanks, Daniel plans on killing the counselor as cruelly as possible. However, among horrible interruptions and questionable feelings,  Daniel finds that this task is harder than he thought.Much, much harder.





	1. The Escape

**Author's Note:**

> Weekly Updates (hopefully). I'm going to try to do about 3,000 words a chapter.

“I’m so sorry for what happened at the restaurant Jacob!”

David’s slightly forced smiled grew a bit as he used his head to motion to the tray with flowers and a card set next to the hospital table. The flowers were magenta and bell-shaped, with small dark speckles decorating the inside, and they hung from a rather long stalk. They were in a black vase. A card leaned against it, with ‘Get Well Soon!’ somewhat poorly scrawled on the front. This was barely noticeable if you focused on the flowers and smiley faces that decorated the sides. David didn’t even bother to write anything else on the inside, he just decided to leave it at what was already printed there. The whole display was pathetic on his part; David knew this. After all, who gets someone a last minute get well card and flowers that, despite their beautiful appearance, actually mean insincere?

“Ah, that’s okay David… I um… really like the purple flowers. Purple’s my favorite color.”

“Uh…yeah, I noticed that the first day I saw you with Bonquisha.”

There was an awkward silence among the two men as David stared at the floor and Jacob played with the telephone cord.

“Again, sorry for giving you that concussion,” David mumbled, twisting his foot against the floor like an ashamed child.

The patient smiled slightly until it quickly disappeared and turned into a worried look when he saw David’s hands violently moving behind his back. He had them behind his back ever since he got into the room. In fact, the redhead came in pushing the tray with his foot. David’s hands continued their erratic movement despite his smile.

“Well, I’ll guess I’ll be leaving! There are too many tempting chairs- I mean fairs! Haha yeah, there are too many tempting fairs in town for me to stay too long. Bye Jacob! Good luck with Bonquisha!”

They both knew that was a lie; the fair didn’t come to town until the fall. It was just an excuse to leave on the counselor's part. David turned his back to his ex’s new lover, who now had a full view of what was going on. The counselor had his wrists tied together with a zip tie, the wrists red from all the force it took trying to escape. Jacob didn’t know whether to feel relieved that David tried his best not to harm him, or worried that David still had to urge to beat him.

The counselor walked out of the hospital room as far as he could, randomly entering and leaving elevators until his hands stopped twitching. He sighed and undid the zip tie, grateful for the lesson in kidnapping that Cameron Campbell had forced him to learn for “protective” reasons. He rubbed his wrists and walked around the floor, curious as to where he was. He had long past the elevators, and all he saw were cream colored walls. After mindlessly wandering about, he eventually saw a sign that was labeled with the words  **Sleepy Peak General’s Poisoned Recovery Floor: Nursing Station on the Left.** It was the only sign there with arrows, so he figured he’d go to the desk and ask for directions. As he followed the signs leading to the nurses’ station, he saw a group of policemen down the hall, whispering among themselves. The redhead frowned slightly in worry, but ignored the group, hoping Cameron Campbell wasn’t involved and continued making turns until he saw rooms beginning to emerge and the station up ahead. Passing by there were many sounds David came across that he paid no mind to, a hacking cough here, a loud sneeze there, and the occasional protests of patients against the staffing. But there was something he heard that caused his head to snap in its direction.

“- Camp Campbell.”

He stopped for a moment. Maybe he had misheard. He moved his head slightly closer in the direction of the sound, but a hacking cough covered the first part.

“ – yearn Camp Campbell!”

He walked to towards that room in curiosity. The voice was a familiar; maybe it was a camper from his youth? Whoever it was though, if they yearned for Camp Campbell, David sure was going to be there for them. First, though, he had to go to the gift shop to buy a proper gift. He couldn’t be caught empty-handed.

\------------------------------------------

Burn Camp Campbell.

Holy hell, how Daniel wanted to burn Camp Campbell.

He had awoken with sweet dreams of the camp being burned to ashes as the flames devoured the tents, flags, and cabins. The sweet justice that had come to his dreams was quickly taken away when he was suddenly awoken by the annoying nurse throwing the curtain open, letting the sunshine in. She walked out as he massaged his eyes, trying to get used to the light change. He looked out the window as he went to grab a glass of water on the nightstand, the only thing he saw being miles and miles of trees: pine, oak, and birch. His hand abruptly stopped, and he saw the handcuffs on his wrist. Handcuffs…?

“What the hell is this Martha?”

The nurse turned her head to him and looked dissatisfied. “The police are here for questioning. You were coming from Campbell's place, what did you expect?”

The memories came back to him, and he growled, muttering ‘burn Camp Campbell’ until he got louder, and his words evolved into unintelligible screams of anger, causing the nurses to rush into the room, holding the man down, forcing him to calm down.

Daniel groaned in pain as they let him go, their imprints clear on his pale skin. He swatted the last of them away and decided to turn on the TV and ignore the scenery next to him that mocked him. He figured he might as well enjoy his last couple hours of ‘freedom’ watching TV. He flipped to the televangelist channels, skimming through them until he found a decent one in which the man was trying to manipulate his followers to send funds for a private jet. Daniel sat up and focused on the man’s movements and choice of words, taking notes for future seminars (assuming he ever escaped prison). When he first founded his ‘congregation’, he had reviewed personal stories of cult members, watched some televised nutcases who were still loved despite being caught committing fraud, and collected papers on events like Jonestown and the Manson Family. It was from all this research that Daniel had found the perfect way to create a cult that worshipped the fictional Xemüg.

The hardest part was convincing the followers that suicide was okay. It had taken him years to control his murderous urges, and he didn’t want those years of therapy to go to waste. But he was quick to realize that the therapy was garbage anyway and that Xemüg demanded a sacrifice of believers or participants ready to ascend. The only way they were deemed ready was if they loved the cult leader and followed him blindly. After all, Xemüg had appointed Daniel as the leader; anyone who defied Daniel defied Xemüg. He finally got the hang of it though, and in no time Daniel, at the age of 19, had already started a cult with a strong following. Three years later, he eventually formed a compound somewhere in the west and performed his first mass sacrifice two years after, killing 65 of his 300 followers. After they had ascended, Daniel had received a vision from Xemüg, asking for a younger sacrifice until he decided to punish Daniel for focusing on his showdown with David, and not the children.

Or at least, this is what he would tell his followers. To be honest, this was all bullcrap. Daniel didn’t believe in Xemüg; it was a rip off of some other cult’s pagan god. His cult was more for taking advantage of the black sheep that hid amongst the middle class and up; he didn’t discriminate based on wealth. He was just a murderer who tended to not leave evidence, a savvy serial killer. It was all for the thrill of being a cultist. He only ever murdered people who had confessed dark deeds to him, thinking Xemüg would forgive them through Daniel. The whole kid thing was just a new experiment to him, something he was itching to try, thinking it would make him satisfied. After the failure, Daniel decided he’d stick with horrible criminals. Of course, that would be virtually impossible now due to the police. They were going to question him about drinking poisoned kool-aid, connecting the dots and figuring out he was apart of some cult, pressing him for more details until they got what they wanted. Since they already knew he came from Camp Campbell, he’d be a goner the moment they interviewed the children. They’d figure it out, eventually.

Thanks, David.

Daniel balled up his hands into a fist. Sure, David was a good guy and not the type Daniel would go for, but because of him, he was stuck here, the beginning of what seemed to be five life sentences. Guess he would have to add unsuspecting idiots to his preferred victims. If only he had a chance to see that redhead squirm in fear under him, begging for his-

“Hi Daniel, nice seeing you again!”

The door had been thrown open, a tall and skinny man stood there. Daniel groaned internally as the person approached him, revealing David’s cheerful grin.

Speak of the devil. Satan had never looked happier while wearing...green pine-spangled scrubs? In fact, it appeared that Satan had also gained some muscle since their last visit. Either that or Daniel just wasn’t paying attention that much last time they saw each other. Probably the latter.

“Why did my nurse let you in?” Daniel muttered coldly.

“Oh, she doesn’t even know I’m here! Kind of a last minute visit. Anyway, I got some wonderful white roses for you! You do like white right? Oh, and you see these scrubs I bought at the gift shop? Aren’t they the cutest things you’ve ever seen?”

Daniel looked at the squealing, twirling redhead in front him, wondering if he should force a smile or just be his normal self. He rolled his eyes. If he was gonna go out soon he might a well be honest.

“Yes David, I love white and No David, they look horrendous. Now can you please leave.” Daniel muttered unamused, his hands betraying the anger he felt as he gripped his sheets. The anger quickly dissipated, feelings of resentment suddenly flowing through him. He gave David a look of disinterest and waited for his reply. David’s smile failed to falter as he looked at Daniel, handing the roses to him.

“Aw c'mon Daniel! What happened to the optimistic co-counselor I knew and loved?”

“He got poisoned?”

David was about to continue until he laid eyes on Daniel’s handcuffs. His smile fell and he looked nervous. Daniel internally smirked, enjoying the discomfort his captured display brought to the counselor.

“Why are you-”

“The police are here. They are going to questioning me, but I get outbursts every now and then so they need to keep me restrained.”

“Outbursts?”

“They are pretty bad. It’s harder to control them ever since I got to the hospital. This place is full of all these negative emotions.” Daniel looked up, surprised that he was subconsciously acting like a cultist who actually believes in what he teaches.

“Oh. Darn Daniel, I wish there was a way I could help…”

Daniel looked at David in surprise, an idea creeping into the deranged blond’s mind. David could be his getaway driver, his key away from this hell hole that was the poison control unit. With David being David, he could easily manipulate him into doing just that. He'd make it back to back to Camp Campbell and punish them. Not kill them, because he decided not to kill those stupid kids. One attempt was enough. Torturing though, he could do. He would torture them by killing their precious David in front of him. Accident or not, he was getting vengeance for drinking that Kool-Aid.

“David, there is one thing. I need to leave, _please_.”

How pathetic of him, to be begging like this.

“Huh?”

Emerald eyes met crystal ones brimming with tears. Fake tears at that, but David’s eyes couldn’t detect the truth, even if he wanted to. Pale hands shot out and grabbed light cream ones, encasing them tight as the cultist faked his pain and despair.

“They treat me bad here. They don't like me. I need to leave, please. I'm going through so many negative feelings, I just..j-just can’t take it anymore.”

The tears ran down quickly, tracing the curves of David’s pale cheeks. And just like a fish encountering a worm, David took the bait, not knowing Daniel was the fisherman, ready to gut and devour him whole.

“Daniel, I’m sorry but-”

“David, please. Sneak me out. **_Please_**.”

The reeling had begun, but the fish was trying to fight back, to escape.

“I-I can't. Even if I knew how it's just not legal-”

“Your fucking camp is illegal David!”

The fisherman tried to pull back harder, falling into the boat, the pole’s line quickly reeling uncontrollably as the fish began to swim away. Daniel realized his flaw. Strange, he usually never messed up while trying to manipulate someone. The fisherman grabbed the pole once again and began to reel towards him, gently but quickly.

“I-I'm so sorry. I'm just an angry mess because of this place. Please, David, you're a good person. If you leave me here, you'll hurt me. If you take me, you won't hurt anyone. Please don’t hurt me.”

The redhead bit his lip and tapped his foot against the floor anxiously, a moral war waging in his head. Geez, if he broke the law every day in order to help camper’s reach their full potential at Camp Campbell, then breaking Daniel out of the hospital so he could be happy shouldn’t be too bad, right?

“Fine. Only for you Daniel.” David didn’t know where the last four words came from, but he embraced them as he held out his hand towards David, who smiled greatly and took the offer.

“Great! The lady who monitors our heartbeats is on break, and she usually leaves a three-minute window before her replacement comes in.” Daniel said, disconnecting all his wires and cables.

He looked at the IV bag and took note of the medication for future reference. Grabbing a blanket, he wrapped himself up, trying to cover his head as best as he could. David caught up quickly, pretending to be a nurse escorting the patient out. Surprisingly, no one had called them out yet. As they made their way into the twisting hallways, they neared the elevators, and David took off his costume as they arrived at the first floor. He turned them inside out and handed the now light green scrubs to Daniel, who slipped them on to hide his patient outfit.

“Uh, Daniel? How are we going to get past the main entrance?”

Daniel looked around, finding no other exit. “Oh don’t worry about that buddy. Just walk out like it’s nothing!” After seeing David butter up the security guard and walk out, he walked past the security at the reception desk, who yelled out, “Hey! What’s your name? All nurses must clock out here!”

Luckily for Daniel, the area was empty save for him and the woman. He walked up to the security guard and smiled, something clicking in his brain upon realizing he wasn’t going to leave without a few threats made.

“Hello, Melissa isn’t it?” He shot an uninterested glance at the name tag. “Why don’t you make things easier for both of us. Hm? It’s such a nice day, you wouldn’t want to bother yourself making paperwork as to why I left without cause now, hm? Just let me walk out. I noticed there aren’t any cameras here, it won’t be hard for us to mind our own business, huh?” Daniel said sweetly, running his finger against the signout clipboard.

“All nurses must clock out here,” She repeated sternly, looking at the blond in his eyes.

_CRRRAACKK._

David’s smile grew as he cracked his neck, looking at her sideways. If manipulation by sloth won’t work, manipulation by fear would.

“I see you take your job very seriously. The question is do you take your children just as serious?”

“Excuse me?”

Daniel's smile widened, his white teeth gleaming.

“Listen, Melissa. Your two sons-”

“How do you know about them?!”

“Let. Me. Finish. They aren’t going to appreciate being kidnapped, tied up, and I don't know… taken into a cult? Sold to the highest bidder? Trained to be psychopathic murderers? To tell you the truth, I don’t know what I’ll do with them when I get my clean hands on their dirty beings. But I know taking them away from you will kill you, consume you, destroy you. Do you know how easy it is to kidnap a child? Especially in a small pathetic town like Sleepy Peak? You grab them,” Daniel snatched a pen from her pocket breast pocket, twirling it within his fingers.

“Gag and tie them,” He enclosed it in a tight fist, his knuckles turning white.

“And then break them, mentally or physically.”

_Snap!_

He discarded the pen, throwing it across the hall. “I don’t think I’ll have to explain that to you now?”

The security guard nodded violently. David’s face turned back to its normal uninterested look.

“Good. Now listen closely. I get what I want when I want. I don’t care about the feelings of others and I won’t let anyone get in my way, especially some undereducated, underpaid security guard. I promise not to hurt your ‘babies’ if you promise not to tell anyone I was here. I’ll know if you do tell anyone.”

She nodded again, sobbing.

“Shh shh shh sweetheart. I swear on my life I won’t touch them okay? Just don’t snitch or else your kids will get stitches.”

Her tears slowly stopped and she pushed a button, opening the glass doors for Daniel. He walked out slowly as if asserting who was in charge.

Before he left, he looked at the woman and smirked. “I don’t hurt children anymore by the way. It’s very distasteful. I didn’t even know you had two sons, just heard some old bats talking about how ‘Melissa’s two kids being the best angels you’ve ever seen.’ Thank you, my dear, for the quick exit!” He walked out, laughing as he heard the intake of a sharp gasp and the sounds of a bitter but relieved sob.

It was good to be back.


	2. The Cupcakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's s lot of dialogue here, I think.
> 
> Thank you guys for reading :)

God how he wanted to die.

David was driving, singing some stupid pop song, while Daniel was sure they were lost; the road was empty and full of gravel, surrounded by trees, trees, and more _damn trees_. What was even worse was that David had wanted to make a quick stop at a nearby bakery first before doing Daniel’s newly proposed errands. Fortunately, the cultist had convinced David to not play some Almanac garbage from ten years ago on the radio.

“Gee, that’s some nice taste in music you got there David!” Daniel said through clenched teeth.

“Why thanks friend! What kind of music do you like?”

“Oh just about the same!”

“Oh c’mon Daniel! I can see the occasional glances you give the dial. Go ahead change it!” David replied, looking at the road in front of him.

Daniel raised an eyebrow. Was he really getting that sloppy? Just a few minutes ago he was doing fine at the hospital. His confusion was quickly dismissed and, fingers on the dial, he turned to a station David had never heard before. Some form of rock blasted out the speakers, catching David by surprise, causing him to almost swerve off the road. After regaining his grip he chuckled nervously. The blond was humming to the sound of pounding drums, screeching guitars, and high pitched singing.

“I didn’t think you’d be the rock type.”

Daniel laughed as he lowered the volume; he found the other male’s discomfort amusing. “It’s a decent genre. But I’ll always love my fiddle more.” The blond’s fiddle was something from late in his adolescence; he had learned to play as a coping mechanism for his mother’s death. Perhaps love wasn’t really the best term to describe it, it was more a dependence on it, something that brought some positive thoughts when Daniel found himself in that dark rabbit hole of despair. But that was basically love, wasn’t it?

“It’s a shame I lost it.”

“Oh! Actually, we still have that lovely thing in the quartermaster's store! Can’t throw away a good fiddle now can we?”

Before Daniel could say anything else, David slammed at the breaks, arriving at the bakery. It was a small shop painted a pastel pink, with a white door and large windows. On display were various cakes, all shades of white, red, and pink. It wasn’t valentines day, but Daniel could feel the sickening attempt at a love-based theme.  

“I’ll be right back!”

Daniel groaned in frustration, the smile falling from his face. Having a lot of thoughts run through his mind was a mess, but the messiest one was how he going to kill this idiot. He had to kill him in front of the kids, that was sure. Tieing them up and having them at the pole would be easy enough. He’d beat him, then just kill him with a gun, or knife, or anything really. The last step was easy enough, he just needed to figure out how he would get to all that. He’d have to get the counselor alone, knock him out, then do his display. Right now could have been perfect, but he lacked weapons. Besides, they were in town so people walking about everywhere. Another issue was that David was currently in a better shape than him. He had been at the hospital for a while; it would take him around two weeks to regain his strength. It would’ve been faster if he would’ve just stayed, but that was too dangerous with the current police situation. Sighing, Daniel looked out the car window to see David coming out with a big white box. He watched as the redhead struggle to open the car and finally slid in. The smiling idiot opened the box and shoved it in the blonde's face.

“Want some?”

On a normal basis, he would’ve said no due to the dietary restrictions he followed, but the sweet smelled infiltrated his nostrils, making him feel satisfied. After grabbing one, he raised an eyebrow at the choice of dessert. A medium sized vanilla cupcake with white frosting and red heart-shaped sprinkles on it.

“Hearts?”

“Yeah, I’m a hopeless romantic,” David sighed as he took one for himself. Daniel almost choked on a piece of cupcake, more so because he didn’t predict it. He should’ve expected that from Daniel to be honest, but it still had come as a surprise. Realizing what just came out of his mouth, David chuckled nervously. “I mean, in general. I didn’t buy these because I love you, because I don’t. Oh, that sounds mean! What I meant to say is that at the moment I don’t, but I’m sure it’s possible because you’re a great guy and I fall in love pretty easily, but I’m not interested in pursuing a relationship, again not because of you but because I just broke up with someone and-”

“David calm down. I understand completely,” Daniel eventually purred, after clearing his throat. He took another bite, pleased to find that the cupcake was filled with bright red frosting.

 _I understand that I could use your romantic vulnerability in my plan._ By making David fall in love with him, not only would it be easier to manipulate him and have him alone, but it would make the killing so much more dramatic, so much more satisfying. Sure it was a cliche trope, but if it was cliche it was overused, and if it was over used then it must work, right? Golly, Daniel was full of bright ideas today.

“Heh, thanks Daniel. Um, so where did you say you wanted to go?”

“The clothing store. And maybe a medical supply shop as well?”

“Alrighty!”

The two young men sat in silence, David humming the Camp Campbell song while Daniel tapped against the arm rest near his chair, to the beat of the hums. The mess of yarn that was his plan was coming together into one large ball. If he was going to make Daniel fall in love with him, he would have to be careful and do it right. Though David was naïve enough that the cultist could mess up his manipulation a couple of times with success, he’d prefer not to lose his skill. To entrap and enamor the happy-go-lucky counselor he would have to feign interest in him, pretend to care for him, act as if he _loved_ him. All easy enough; he did that on a daily basis, might as well start now. He decided to start with something personal that linked to David’s outward and public attitude. Something he could try to relate to.

“Hey, David...do you happen to be part of a religion? You’re just so happy I would assume-”

“Yup! Well, I was when I was a kid anyway. That aspect of my life is different now, but when I was younger I was born and raised in a religious household. I’m interested in integrating into an organized religion once again, but I’m just not ready yet. That was the one thing I had in common with my ex. Right now, I’m just happy believing in the basics.”

“Mind telling me what your religion was?”

David hesitated, his smile turning all wobbly. “I was raised in the Church of the Latter Day Saints.”

“Oh golly that sounds protestant,” Daniel replied in a curious tone, continuing eye contact with the side of David’s face.

“Sure,” was all that came back, a bland and forced response.

He had heard that term before, in a book or something. Strange though, the only books he read had been about cults and mental illnesses, rarely did he pick up a book on mainstream religion. Maybe he had seen a documentary about it or a follower had mentioned it before. Church of Latter Day Saints... Was that new age or old age? It sounded fancy, so it was probably new age, but he wasn’t that sure. Latter Day Saints-

“Wait David, you're a Mormon,” Daniel replied once it hit him. He said it with such a pure sense of interest, you wouldn’t have known it was fake. He finally remembered that he had read it in a book about some type of personality disorder. Out of curiosity, he had checked the organization out before his cult days, only to find it was just another Christian church, albeit with a few strange quirks. Other than that it was just like everything else Daniel had seen. The blond eyed the man next to him and smiled. Maybe he could mess with him and get a nasty reaction from him.

“Yep! Well, I _was_ a Mormon.”

“So you were in a cult?”

The breaks were slammed so hard that both men flew towards the front, their heads almost hitting against the dashboard.

“It’s not a cult! Cults are secretive, manipulative, and just full of lies! Just because the religion I was raised with was a different type of Christianity, doesn’t mean it was a cult!” David shot back.

“I’m sorry if I hit a raw nerve there buddy! Why did you leave?” Daniel internally smiled. This man was a bit obsessive and defensive of his past. So much so that they stopped in the middle of the road. Anywhere else, and they would've caused a car crash. Daniel lowered his head, almost as if he was ashamed. His hands rested on the eight and four of the steering wheel.

“It... it’s just I felt so out of place.”

“Is that the one you want to go back to?”

“Not really… no. What about you?”

“My family was Catholic, but I didn’t bother much. That is, until I woke up one day and decided that I was lacking something in my life. I was 17 when I left home and traveled the country in search of religious ideals. When I was 19 I had found my religion while still in college studying political science. I soon became a member of a small but worthwhile collective.”

“Sounds interesting. What was the name?”

“I was,” And with no hesitation, Daniel lied once again, picking a random religion, “Lutheran.”

David smiled, as he gently pressed on the accelerator. Once he got control of his driving, he continued the conversation as the ribbon of road unwound before them.

“Does it make sense?”

Daniel tilted his head, emitting a loud crack.

“All the sense you can imagine, _buddy_.”

It wasn't long before they arrived at the thrift store and bought some clothes for Daniel and began to make their way to the Medical Shop. After a quick questionnaire, Daniel grabbed everything his buddy had needed, surprised at how easy it was to buy medical supplies in Sleepy Peak. He carefully placed them in the trunk, except for the actual IV rod. He forced that into the car’s back seat. Upon getting back into the steering wheel, he turned to David to start his own conversation.

“So do you have a favorite cartoon character?”

“Ren and Stimpy of course!” The ends of the blonde's mouth tilted upward as he remembered the episode in which the chihuahua beat a man with a paddle board. He had almost tried that on a fellow classmate when he was in college; unfortunately, the victim was on the track team, to say the least. “I don’t watch TV that much now.”

“Taking care of your vision I see! How about your favorite tree?”

“Oh, that’s easy! It’s white birch trees of course!”

There was no need to lie here, these were basic questions that were just conversation fillers. Daniel watched as the forest got thicker and the road turned to dirt, causing the bumpy road to turn a bit more smooth. They passed a  large sign that said ‘Camp Campbell 20 minutes away!”

“Ahhh the mighty birch. A wonderful tree indeed! What about your family?”

Daniel froze.

His family? Did David want his family or his dead mother and lost father? Did David want the ‘before-the-accident’ picture perfect smiles, or the hollowed out bodies that were left, either filled with sadistic rage or mellowed sadness? What did David want, exactly?

He ended up explaining to David that they were great, that his childhood was all sunshine and rainbows, in the annoying voice that could be confused for joy. In actuality, his childhood was decent given the suppressed _issues_ he had. If he had told him the truth, this is what he would have said.

His parents _had_ loved him, and he had loved them. His heart broke when he was his mother cry, he got angry when his father got hurt working in the mines, and he was the type of child to give hugs and kisses. Blond hair and blue eyes, a kind smile and an honest heart. What ever happened to Danny?

Daniel happened.

Daniel had stripped himself of that childish nicknames and all the joy that accompanied it, turning himself into the man he was today. At the age of sixteen he had therapists while other kids had girlfriends. At seventeen he had a hole in his backyard filled with animal corpses while other kids had pets. At eighteen, he was aiming for a career in political science to systematically destroy his ‘perceived’ enemies, while the other kids were voting. But then, on a special summer of being a camp counselor and murdering any hikers unlucky enough to get lost, he stumbled upon a podcast on the Manson Family cult while flipping through stations. At that point, Daniel had changed his life.

He dropped out of college and became a cult leader enthusiast, who got his high from killing morally incorrect people. He had to give the illusion he was righteous god, even if he was the only one watching. But now that David had messed with all of that, Daniel was where he was now. Stuck in an old station wagon with an annoying red-head.

Of course, he didn’t say that. He was going to kill David anyway, no need to tell him all that. He just fed him garbage instead.

“They really did love you huh?” David whispered, a small hint of envy present in his voice, masked by the grand smile he put on. He was truly happy for Daniel; why wouldn’t he be?

“Yes sir, the best parents I could hope for!”

David smiled and began his turn. His parents were kind and lovable, the most dedicated people he ever knew. He was just a pessimistic little kid for no reason. It was just the way he was, until camp that is. They had wanted to put him in the Wood Scouts but couldn’t afford it, so they placed him in Camp Campbell for Religion Camp, a surprisingly more affordable camp. He loved the surprise on his face on their face when he came back optimistic, and the concern they expressed when he came back learning nothing about what they signed him up for. Nevertheless, they sent him back the summer after.

Faking a laugh, Daniel replied, “Now your parents really do love you!”

“They sure did!”

Daniel looked confused for a bit, noticing that the statement was too quick and a bit too forced. Before he could prod any further, they had arrived at Camp Campbell. Stepping out, the cultist breathed in the pine air and let out a heavy sigh. Everything was just as how he left it: miserable, ugly, and dirty. He turned to the direction of the lake and saw the kids swimming about, screaming and yelling. They couldn’t see them, but they could see the kids. Nerris - or was it Erris?- was throwing dust at some green haired kid holding a platypus - was it Mikki or Nikki?- while some magic kid was rolling in the dirt laughing -that had to be that Harrison kid right? The rest of the kids were in the lake, Daniel being able to identify most, more or less. The only kid he didn’t have trouble with was the one in the blue swim trunks and the nastiest look he ever saw on a ten year old.

Max. The one who had gotten David involved. The one who would have a front row seat at David’s demise.

“I can't wait to watch this damn camp burn,” the cultist mumbled under his breath.

“What's that Daniel?”

“This is all I yearn, to be at camp-”

“Unfortunately Daniel, you won't be staying here. As much as I understand your love for this camp, i must say it's too dangerous for you to be here  There's a cabin nearby in the midst of a bunch of trees, where you'll stay.”

“Alone?”

“Yup! Is that a problem?” David tilted his head in concern, a look of worry on his face. God forbid he made Daniel uncomfortable, especially after releasing him early form the hospital.

“No, it’s perfectly fine! Why are we here then?”

“You can only get there from here silly.”

Daniel forced his smile even more when he saw David handing him the box that contained his clothes, heading into the deep woods that laid before them. Just what the blond needed; a long walk through the disgusting woods.

\-----------------

After trudging through the forest for thirty minutes, carrying large boxes filled with clothes and medicine bags while trying to avoid stepping on animal droppings and mud, they finally found the cabin.

“It’s beautiful,” Daniel whispered, taking a step on the porch, setting his supplies down. It truly was. It resembled Theodore's Maltese cross cabin in great detail; however, this cabin was hidden in the obscurity of several pine and cedar trees, as well as large berry bushes. There was no dirt road leading to the cabin, it was all discoverable only if you knew it by heart. The wood was old in a rustic kind of way, while the skinny columns that held the roof above the porch were engraved with pine trees. A rocking chair was placed near the railing, the ends of both armrests being shaped into a robin’s head.  There was a small window next to the door, covered with curtains. A brown brick chimney sprouted from the roof, complementing the wooden porch.

“How did you even find it?”

“Oh I built it a couple summers ago. I was nineteen.” David replied, pride in his voice.

“For what reason?”

“Oh ah…”  A bright red blush covered David’s face. “I used to bring girls here when I was in college to...enjoy the nature.”

Yeah, the nature of having sex, no doubt. Daniel gave David a weird look, who just blushed even harder and failed to return his gaze.

“I just started using it now as my free space, you know when the kids are driving me crazy. Last time I tried getting out of town, but the cute rascals followed me up there. So I figured I’d relieve some old memories and hang out here. Occasionally I go camping near here if I really want to. Now that I think about it, it’s only been three years.”

They went through the door, the inside a bit more modern than the outside. The living room was rather small; a red plaid couch was placed next to the door and a small fish shape table in front of it. In the corner of the room was a stairway leading to the attic, where the bed and a tiny TV was placed. Judging by how much dust had accumulated, it was easy to assume that David didn’t use it much.  Next to the staircase was a door and an open entrance; the door being a closet and the open entrance leading to a small kitchen. David had given Daniel a rather quick tour, finishing with the living room.

“Any questions?”

“The bathroom?”

“There’s an outhouse twenty feet away on the left side of the house!”

“Thanks, _Davey_!”

Ignoring the disgust rising within him at the sound of the word outhouse, the blond forced out a thanks, trying his best to mess with David. Luckily, it had worked. He saw the way the David trembled at the sound of the word ’Davey.’ There was something strange with the way the other male had said David’s nickname, a shiver being sent down his spine. Daniel smiled and licked his lips, hungry for a reaction to the his next statement.

“But  when I said bathroom, I meant the _bath_.”

Daniel was awfully close, basically whispering in the red-head’s ear. The cultist’s shoulder was barely touching David. David gave him a side glance and cleared his throat, trying to find the correct way to formulate the words. Why was this becoming so hard for him? How come after Daniel mentioned a bath, something in him had twitched. David took a step back, staring at the blue eyes, reminding him of a lake he wanted to dive into. A sudden memory flashed into his head, him bringing some girl from his environmental science class to the cabin. She had asked the same question in the same way, but instead of bumbling like an idiot, David had taken her by the wrist and showed her the lake. They both had undressed and took a long bath, to say the least. Why was Daniel making him feel all nervous?

“Oh, it’s the lake,” David manage to spit out, a simple smile appearing on his face, the memory not fully gone.

“The lake?” _CRRRAAACKKK_.

David’s attention snapped (just like Daniel’s neck) back to reality, his grin returning upon seeing Daniel’s crooked face.

“Haha yeah. It’s clean though don’t worry. It’s oligotrophic so the water is naturally transparent. The only fish are big bass, whitefish, and some trout. If you’re gonna use a bar of soap, there's a bucket in the closet. Just make sure you’re twenty feet away from the lake. If you have a loofa then it’s no biggie. ”

The red head prepared himself to leave after making sure that everything was all right. David reviewed everything with Daniel as he walked out, turning to the blond who was laying against the door beam. David smiled and waved goodbye, until Daniel placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him around. He kissed him on the forehead, slowly and calmly shutting the door in David’s face after he managed to stutter a “No problem” to the wordless thanks.

David stood there in the dark, butterflies in his stomach, his face redder than a tomato. The lights in the cabin were still on, but the curtains were closed. The stars were the ones who told him he had prolonged his absence from camp. Gwen was probably worried, thinking her co-counselor had abandoned her for the day. He heard his heart pounding against his chest, the cricket’s chirp in sync with it. Slowly turning away, David felt a wave of affection swallowing him as he pondered the situation, walking all the way home.

_What was that?_

 


	3. The Idiot

Upon hearing David’s eventual footsteps faint away, Daniel slid down the door and sighed pleasantly, his cheeks a bit rosy, with a stupid grin decorating his face.

“What a  _ fucking  _ **_idiot_ ** .”

Daniel wasn't going to lie, kissing David had been nice, his skin smooth and smelling of pine. This man, however, was way too easy. How was he able to get some fun out of killing David if the counselor lapped up his facade so quick? To be fair though, after the bath comment, David had lost his sense of reality for a second, deep in thought, as if remembering something. Daniel guessed it probably had something to do with the lake. 

“He probably screwed some girl near that lake or something…” Daniel mumbled, annoyance seeping from his voice as he recalled the situation from not too long ago.

Yes, Daniel was annoyed. He was also a bit angry, and maybe even a bit jealous. Not because he held any feelings for the kid, but because even though he was manipulating David with no problem, all it took was for some random woman for five years ago to reenter David’s mind to distract him. This cabin was going to be an issue if it just kept reminding David of other people. 

Daniel stood up and took another tour of the cabin, this time with his plan in mind. He walked into the small area that David had labeled as the kitchen; there was a small table in the center and a couple of kitchen cabinets in place. The sink took a bit to sputter out water, but it was worth the wait seeing that it was clear and appeared to be clean. Opening and closing the drawers, Daniel’s efforts to find anything useful were fruitless. Just as David had said, there wasn’t any food in there except some cans of corn he had left from who knows when. Daniel sighed, groaning in exasperation. Prowling to the closet, his findings were once again useless.

  
Where were the knives, the hammers, the matches? This man had a couch, several nightstands, and a kitchen in this cabin. How could he not have a couple of knives?   
  


The cultist threw himself on the plaid couch in exasperation, landing on a red cushion that was harder than he thought. He stood up and touched the cushion, feeling nothing unusual until his fingers pressed against something hard. Daniel threw the cushion behind him and frowned upon seeing a sort of closed hatch. There was no lock attached interesting enough, just a thick, large handle. He lifted the handle, a cloud of dust blowing towards his face. After coughing a bit, he stuck his hands in and felt a metal case. 

“David, you’re gonna have to do better than that to hide things.”

  
Unlike the hatch, the case was clean and dust free, suggesting recent use. It was small and light, fitting snugly in the pale palms of the man’s hands. Closing the hatch and placing the cushion back, Daniel climbed up the stairs and into the attic, a dusty smell infiltrating his nostrils. He looked around and saw a small window, opening it to let in fresh nightly air. There was a nightstand next to the bed and the TV was on the other side of the attic. Its antennas were a bit crooked; it probably didn’t even work properly. He tried to turn it on anyway, turning the dial until he found the news channel, all fuzzy due to lack of connection. He examined the metal box as the background noise infiltrated the room. What could possibly be in it? He looked at the keyhole and frowned; if it weren’t for the fact that this was David’s he would’ve smacked it with a rock already. 

After several failed attempts, Daniel decided to give up on opening the small box. Daniel shoved it under the bed and laid down, inhaling the scent of bark and the pure air, his lungs feeling cold with the sudden inhalation of natural air. The smell lured him to sleep as he tried imagining what was in the box: a bracelet, a small stack of cash, or how about a handheld torture device, like pliers? Daniel laughed at the last one, his eerily sweet laugh echoing across the empty room.

Soon, Daniel shut his eyes closed, his quiet snores accompanied by dreams of David’s blood splattered against the faces of children. The pleasure of this diabolical sight was found in his faint smile and still sleep. The only disturbance in the pattern of calmness that ruled Daniel’s body was his slightly furrowed eyebrows, so subtle that it was as if it wasn’t even there. 

* * *

 

The next day, Max looked at his flower crown in annoyance, grumbling under his breath as he twisted the flora stems together. Today was a combination of art and theater camp again. Preston was working on performing a one-man play on a continuation of the tale of Persephone in which Hades and Persephone are a bickering couple, but needed props in order to make it happen. Dolf on the other hand had wanted to focus more on physical art rather than paints. David and Gwen had decided that it was the perfect opportunity to get art camp involved by making flower crowns. Well, David had decided. Gwen had mumbled something the lines of, ‘Sure do whatever the hell you want.’

“Ooh look at my flower crown!” Nikki yelled out, scratching her arms in a hurry. Turns out she had used poison ivy and red holly berries for her flower crown and was reaping the consequences.

“Nikki get away from that!” David squeaked, smacking it out of the girl’s hand.

“A flower crown out of poison berries and leaves, really Nikki that’s just queer.”

“Neil! Stop saying that, that’s so messed up, even if it’s true.” Max shot back, throwing his  unfinished crown at Neil, who ducked, hitting Daniel right in his face.

“Owie!”

“Flower Fight!” Nikki’s screams fueled an unprecedented emotion within the campers that could only be described as bloodthirsty as the got up and began to cheer themselves.

They began to throw the crowns at one another, thorns causing small cuts and pollen causing mild allergies. One landed on Space Kid’s helmet, earning a look of awe from the young child. David got up from the picnic table to try to stop the ‘fight’, only to be hit in the head once again with another accessory. Max laughed in his face before throwing one at Nurf, who threw the garden scissors at him. His throw was weak and instead it landed in David’s palm, earning a shriek from the abused counselor. Gwen sighed and placed her crown down, watching the spectacle in frustration, ready to break it up. As she got up, a noise had caught her attention. She stood still and tried to listen harder.

Were those... drums? She turned around, getting closer to the sound buried in the forest. Soon, a loud fiddle was heard. The noise was faint and the screaming children didn’t make it any better, but there was something there, there was music playing. Playing somewhere where it shouldn’t.  

“Hey, David… by any chance is there a music camp on this side of Lake Lilac?”

“No…*Sob* There’s one *Sob* ontheothersideofthelakethoughBWAAHHH.” David began to bawl, the pain being too strong. He stood up and opened his palm, allowing droplets of blood to run down his hands and fall upon his white flower crown that was being gripped by his other hand. The dethorned roses are tainted with blood at the edges, ruining its purity.

“I know but it sounds like there’s a concert on this side of the lake. I’m gonna go check it out.” As Gwen began to walk towards the forest as realization dawned on David.

“N-No wait!” David sniffled, wiping the tears away. “I’ll go. As payment for leaving you yesterday. You don’t wanna trek in the woods, do you? Besides, I know the forest better than you. I don’t want my best co-counselor to get lost! Today’s an easy day anyway.”

Gwen raised an eyebrow in confusion but took it anyway. She watched David walk away sniffling, with a bloody flower crown. At the sight of the blood, she called her friend once again.

“David, what about your injuries?”

“Don’t worry! I can handle it!”

They both knew that was a lie as more tears collected at the brim of David’s eyes. Gwen frowned in worry but let him go, figuring if this is what he wanted then she’d let him go off and be a man. The injured redhead disappeared into the woods and towards the sound, mumbling something about puppies. Meanwhile, Max had seen the whole display and frowned. On a normal basis, David would have probably dismissed the noise as nothing, or taken all of them with him, blabbering about a fun new experience. He seemed truly worried this time, which is saying something considering the fact that crazy cultist Daniel hadn’t fazed him.

What was up with David?

* * *

 

The usually ecstatic counselor had a worried look on his face, as the bleeding had gotten worse. He had pulled out the garden scissor a couple hundred feet back, unable to endure the unnatural look of it sticking out of his hand. That was a bad idea; all it did was worsen the pain and made more blood usher out. David stopped and realized his mistake. If all this blood was falling out, then he was leaving a trail. He took a left and walked a couple more hundred feet before taking off the yellow shirt wrapped around his neck. He wrapped it up on his palm, the shirt soaking all the blood up. He then went back to his original spot and took a right, continuing his trek to his cabin. Just as he thought, the music had gotten louder as he neared the cabin. He made it to the hidden home and knocked on the door, wiping the tears of pain away. He had stopped crying, but the marks were still there. The door was quickly opened, a whole new level of music playing, trying to murder his eardrums.

Daniel’s wicked smile appeared on his face, holding his fiddle and the stick.

“Why hello David! I helped myself to some speakers I found! How’s my favorite counselor- What on earth happened to your hand?”

David weakly smiled. He walked into the cabin and towards the closet, grabbing the first aid kit from the top shelf.

“I’m just here because your music is a bit too loud. We can hear it all the way from camp. I have no problem with you using my old speakers buddy, but we’re trying to hide you remember?” He opened the kit and struggled with the gauze, the wrap continuing to fall apart.

“I’m so sorry. Here let me make up for it.”

The blond set his fiddle down, turned off the speakers, and untied the bloody shirt. He set it on the couch, placing David’s hand over it. He took the alcohol and poured a bit of it on David’s wound, earning a whimper from the man. Daniel subtly licked his lips at the sound, wiping the blood off with a clean cloth. Grabbing the gauze, he got ready to help David, quietly singing a song as he did it.

“Touch me…”

Daniel placed a small swab of cotton over the deep ‘cut’, some of it soaking the blood that was beginning to reemerge.

“Taste me…”

He wrapped the linen around the wound, David’s whimpers becoming a bit more constant as Daniel applied pressure.

“Tell me that you need me…”

The last line was wrong, but Daniel did that on purpose, smirking at the uncomfort running through David. The blood finished passing through the gauze as Daniel finished the stanza, patting the gauze gently so it would stick. He put the supplies backed and shot David a large smile, who was blushing deeply.

“You sing really good Danny…”

His smile twitched. Danny? The only person who had ever called Daniel that was his mother, and she did it when he was younger. He wasn’t Danny anymore though. Danny was the kid who cooked brownies for his mom, who loved the color blue, who made friends with everyone. Daniel was the boy who was wrongly diagnosed with APD just because he didn’t care, who manipulated people to get what he wanted, the man who murdered people. In fact, Daniel had murdered Danny the day their mother had died in a car crash. Daniel pushed the memory out of his head and forced a large smile.

“Well, I play the fiddle even better. Maybe one day I’ll play you a song.”

David’s normal smile returned, his eyes shining real bright. “Really?!”

“Anything for my favorite counselor.” Daniel folded the yellow shirt and handed it to the other male, seeing a bloody flower crown next to the redhead. “What’s that friend?”

“Oh, this was the flower crown I was gonna bring with when I brought your lunch. Guess it’s early huh? And kind of ruined. Sorry I bled all over it.”

Daniel took it gently and looked at the roses, inspecting them carefully. All of them were white, with splatters of blood decorating the tips and the outside. Daniel smiled and looked at the counselor, placing the flower crown on his head. “I love it.”

“Really?!”

David shrieked in joy, apparently unfazed by how fast the blond was willing to accept David’s blood on the gift. David flung himself onto Daniel, giving him a tight hug. The blond sat there like stone, slowly wrapping his arms around David. The nature lover was warm and soft, still smelling of pine. Feeling as if he was failing to take advantage of the situation right now, Daniel pulled away slowly and gently, looking at the emerald orbs in front of him. Taking a finger and gently moving David’s head to the left, he quickly planted a kiss on the other’s cheek, feeling the heat raise up in the other man's face. He smiled, eyes half-lidded.

“Yes, Davey.”

“D-Daniel…” David paused, looking at the bloody shirt resting on his lap. He suddenly remembered that he had left Gwen all alone, a tinge of guilt piercing his heart. “It looks really good on you,” is what he finished with, getting up from the couch.  “I’ll bring lunch in an hour okay? I’ll leave it by the front door covered in plastic wrap. I’ll see you soon. Oh, wait…Do you need help with the IV?”

“No, I don’t need the medicine until tomorrow. I took some yesterday at the hospital; it’s every other day.”

“Okay, Daniel. See you.”

David sent him a cute smile before walking out, heading to camp. Daniel watched the man leave, walking to the bathroom when he was all alone. His plan was coming together, slowly but surely. Another kiss, a quick threat, and rounding the campers up like cattle was all he needed to kill David. He stared at the mirror, looking at the flower crown.  _ It’s a shame how soon you’ll die, _ he thought, not just referring to wilting roses. He noticed how bright David’s blood was, a sign of health. Daniel was going to look forward to seeing the liquid once again though, when he’d slit David’s throat and hanged him upside down.

Usually, after a thought like that, Daniel would laugh. Instead, he stared at the mirror, cringing a bit when the thought invaded his mind. Maybe it was just the murder preference. Yeah.

He wasn’t a butcher type of guy anyways.

The blond touched his lower lip, trying to remember the soft skin that David had, despite his time spent outdoors. What was this sudden need to remember? Daniel took off the flower crown and looked at the sink, his minds running a mile a minute. He hated David, so why did he want to kiss him again? What reason other than love-?

Oh.

Daniel was beginning to  _ lust  _ after David. The cultist shrugged and placed the flower crown back on, ready to grab his fiddle. Lusting after David was sure going to make this whole love thing a lot more interesting. Besides, why couldn’t he have a little bit of fun with David before sending him off to the chopping block?

This time, Daniel laughed, his cheers accompanying the silent harmonious cries of his fiddle. 

* * *

 

Max saw David walk into the lunch room with a bandaged hand, a bare neck, and a yellow t-shirt in his right hand, where his flower crown was supposed to be. He sat next to Gwen, surprised at seeing the yellow shirt off from around his neck.

“Hey moron, did you go to the fucking hospital and paid them with that trashy hipster art?” Max snapped as he walked towards them. “Where’s your stupid crown?”

“Hey! Language…” David mumbled, “And of course not Max! I just happened to have some gauze on me. The shirt was used to stop the bleeding. As for the flower crown… well, I must have dropped it while looking for the source of the noise!”

“What was that anyway?” Gwen inquired, still curious.

“Oh, that was just the Flower Scouts demonstrating what music was not lady like!”

“Sounds like Flower Scouts,” Gwen mumbled, shoveling mashed potatoes into her mouth.

Max frowned, turning away from the adults and walking towards Neil and Nikki. Neil was poking the lunch in boredom, trying to fend off Nikki from taking his. Max sat in between them and eyed David. There wasn’t anything too obvious to suggest David was up to something, it could have just been an off day for the redhead. Well whatever it was, Max was going to keep a closer eye on David.

Max would soon come to regret that promise.


	4. The Stars

The stars were shining in the night sky, covered by the tree’s leaves. The moonlight barely passed through the canopy; any light that did make it shone a path to the cabin. Daniel grabbed an outfit that closely resembled his usual get up and walked out of the house, making his way out of the cabin. Using the map David had made him in case he ever wanted to leave the cabin, David walked towards the camp. Tonight was a ceremonial evening for his cult; basically, he had to go to a hidden compound and prepare a major sacrifice. The only issue was that the meeting was out of town and Daniel had no transportation unless he stole the station wagon. Besides, even if it was in walking distance (which it wasn’t) it was surprisingly hot tonight.

Daniel decided it was his moral obligation to go ‘borrow’ the stationwag. It would have been a wonderful escape too, if it weren’t for the fact that he really wanted to slit David’s throat in congruence to plan. He found the station wagon parked near the entrance of the camp and tried to open the door. It was locked. Guess he was going to have to break into the cabin and get those car keys. If Daniel remembered correctly, on orientation David had told him that spare car keys were kept in each counselor’s cabin; all he had to do was ask if he needed to use them while they made his copies. He wondered if the happy counselor had ever made Daniel’s copies.

Standing outside the entrance of David’s cabin, he pulled the rug from underneath him to reveal a flat bronze key. Picking it up, he inserted into the keyhole, smiling when it successfully turned to the left. Really, that quick orientation the redhead had given him was extremely useful.  The door creaked open as he slowly entered the room. Photos and posters were hung up all over the left wall, most of them camp-related. On the right side was the other counselor’s bed, filled with books and electronics. She was sleeping soundly, a white furry eye mask covering her face. David was asleep in his bed, across from which was a large drawer and a chair. The room was simple, plain, and spacious. In fact, it had enough space to hold rounded up campers and a maimed man in front of them as a display.

David smiled; the thought was like a thick, salty piece of caramel melting on his tongue - enticing, contrasting, and just plain wonderful. Trying not to make the floorboards creak, he tiptoed towards the bed and towered over David, the blonde’s eye twitching. The redhead was holding a thick log. For what, Daniel would never know; David’s hands were clenching the thing so tight, Daniel was concerned he’s break it. The blond turned and rummaged through the cabinets of the sleeping counselor, gently lifting up folded shirts and shorts. Finding nothing, he eyed the nightstand next to David and opened it. There were neatly folded socks and various colored boxers.  Daniel carefully lifted the socks, finding nothing except the wooden bottom of the drawer. He switched his attention to the boxers and groaned. He wasn’t in the mood to touch David’s undergarments, now or ever. Grabbing a sock, he folded it in half and used it to lift the boxers.

To say he was shocked was a bit of an understatement; Daniel had almost yelped. There were condoms everywhere. Green ones, yellow ones, pink ones, studded ones, tasty ones. It was rather...intimidating and very uncomfortable. Daniel glanced at the snoring counselor. Was the innocent man sleeping right now really a sex maniac? Perhaps in college; Daniel could understand that, but at this point he was questioning everything about the snoring counselor. And if David was crazy for intercourse, did that mean he had a thing with that other counselor? Would Daniel have to kill her as well? What was her name? Gretchen? Grace? Glendolyn? Daniel turned to the other side of the cabin and saw her gently snoring, facing the right wall.  

After much deliberation, the blond was about to close the cabinet until something glistening caught his eye. Giving the stack a closer look, he saw that the glistening was coming from under the colorful birth control. Grimacing, he pushed the rubbers aside, uncovering a small key.

Taking it out, Daniel looked at the key and frowned. The counselor was hiding the key; that’s why there were so many condoms. After all, most people wouldn’t dig past a drawer full of undergarments and birth control; it was a unique hiding spot to say the least. Daniel turned the key around a couple of times, wondering what it could open. Well, finders keepers losers weepers. Besides, it probably will drive David crazy looking for this key. Daniel smirked, placing the key in his left front pocket, tapping it for reassurance.

He then turned to the defenseless counselor and eyed him; David was tossing and turning a bit. Still, he looked peaceful and tired, his chest slowly rising up and down. Daniel smirked and took out a piece of cloth; wrapped within it was a small white bottle labeled as chloroform. He took the rag and doused it in the liquid, hovering it over David’s face.  David had actually bought the chloroform for him when they had gone to the medical store, no questions asked. In fact, he had giggled and said, “What an interesting shopping list!”.

Unfortunately for Daniel, he have to be quick about this; prolonged exposure to oxygen could make the chloroform just as useless as water. It would also take five minutes to knock David out, leaving him like that for 10-15 minutes. He would use that time to look for the car keys, and drag David to the car without making a sound. There, Daniel would tie him up and make a stop by that drug dealer - Dirty Kevin, was it?- to see if he could find stronger drugs for the whole camp. He’d then go to the ceremony, finish, and begin the act of killing David in front of the campers after putting benadryl in their breakfast. It was a wonderful plan that would have worked.

Of course, nothing ever went Daniel’s way.  The alarm had went off.

He inhaled sharply, hearing the bedsheets rustle in front of him. Daniel froze. He tore his eyes towards the girl who groaned at the sound of the alarm, but stayed very still, facing the wall. He heard a weak apology coming from the left regarding the alarm. Daniel forced a smile and looked at the tired redhead as he slowly stepped away, trying to hide the fact that he had been looming over the counselor. As ashamed as he was to admit it, Daniel couldn’t deny that he almost blushed at the sight of the counselor.  David sat up, rubbing his eyes. David was shirtless, his thin frame a bit less thin and a lot more defined. The forester had a decent amount of muscle, probably due to all the time spent outdoors. To the cultist’s surprise, David had chest hair; not too much to make him look like a gorilla but not lacking in that he resembled a pubescent child. Honestly, David struck Daniel as the type of man who shaved everything, or just couldn’t grow hair at all. Then again, the blond had never given David a comprehensive inspection like now.

Sure Daniel was going to kill this man, but he wouldn’t deny that he was easy on the eyes. Maybe he’d reconsider the whole boxer thing. Daniel internally groaned in frustration at the thought, returning his attention to reality.  David’s cheery look was missing, replaced with exhausted indifference and half lidded eyes. Happy or not, it was two in the morning and David was beat from the pain he experienced the day before. He turned off the alarm and looked up, slightly surprised at seeing Daniel in front of him.

David opened his mouth to yawn, stretching out his arms. He hunched over and stared at the wall in front of him in silence, until his eyes fell on David. He almost yelped, but kept quiet remembering that Gwen was right across the room.  “Daniel! What are you doing here?” David was whispering in a rather high pitched tone.

“Just wanted to drop by and make sure you were okay after getting stabbed. I see though...you have company.” Lying had never been so easy to Daniel as it was now. He walked over to David and stood next to the bed, trying to whisper as well. “Why are you up pal?”

“Oh, it’s my turn to do the rounds for tonight! Got to make sure those kids are still there…” David’s voice got quiet at the end, as if contemplating something important, something meaningful. Remembering that he had a ‘guest’ in his room, he looked at Daniel and smiled.

“Thanks buddy for stopping by!”

David walked out of bed in a pair of tree spangled boxers; ones that hugged his behind tightly and generously.  It was as if the counselor had completely forgotten to wear pajamas that night. The heat wave wasn’t even _that_ bad. Daniel felt his heart quicken it’s pace, a feeling of lust and disgust rising up in his chest. Lust for David’s body, but disgust that he would even want the idiot in such a carnal way. Who could blame Daniel though? Despite the fact that Daniel didn’t love David, David seemed to be worth a good screw. He seemed like a real screamer, an enjoyable trait to have in a partner, in Daniel’s opinion.

“Wow buddy, you sure have no shame!”

“Huh? Oh my! I’m so sorry Daniel I just forgot about my pants. This sudden heat wave is just deplorable!”

He made no effort to place his pants back on. Daniel forced his eyes back to David’s face.

“I was also wondering if I could borrow the car keys.” He might as well asked; there was no reason that David would say no.

“For what?”

“I need to see some people very close to me. Just to let them know I’m okay.”

“Oh sure! You know what, I’ll come with, just in case! Let me just check up on the kids first!” David put on some pants and opened his sock drawer. Daniel watched curiously, seeing if David would notice that the key was missing. Instead, David changed and skipped out the door, twirling in the air as he left.

“Alright! Roadtrip!”

Daniel groaned. Not again. The lust was gone now.

 

* * *

 

Daniel was driving this time, his face having a large smile. David sat shotgun, a small smile also on his face as he stared at the stars that lit up the night sky from the open sunroof. He could see the leaves of the moving redwood trees trying to futilely hide Orion; the constellation’s belt poked from the trees, being enough for David to see the bow within the sky. The small stars that surrounded Orion complimented the man glued to the sky, almost as if they represented all the beasts he had killed. There were many variations of the giant’s death, but David was always keen to the one with the goddess Artemis; how she loved the man so much that when her brother’s jealousy drove him to a bloodthirsty insanity so he could die by the dying of a scorpion sent by Apollo, she turned him into the brightest collection of stars in the night sky. It was romantic save from grace.

In a way, though David didn’t know it, Daniel was his Orion and he was Artemis. A love so blind and true that the goddess of hunt was willing to ignore the giant’s blood-thirsty insanity; it was the kind of love only a naive kindred idiot was possible of having; the kind of love only David was possible of having. But of course, David was a still a man with morals, not a goddess who had no need for such a restrictive concept. Though David was far from loving Daniel, loving a murderer was wrong.

David would never think of that phrase as much as he did until it was too late.

But that was too far in the future; that was an idea - no, an inevitable truth- for another time in David’s life; a time that would smash into him like an uncontrollable train when he least expected it. For now though, he was busy admiring the stars, basking in their historical and mythological glory.

He tilted his head toward the road again, his smile faltered a bit when they passed a sign that said “Now Leaving Sleepy Peak.”

“Uh Daniel… Where exactly are we going?”

“A couple miles out of town. Don’t worry.”

Silence filled the car accompanied by a tension so thick that one could slice a knife through it. Eventually, Daniel got off the road and drove a bit into the woods, stopping the car and parking it in the middle of nowhere.

“Daniel-”

“Oh, David please don’t worry! I _insist_.” Daniel drew out the word insist in hidden frustration as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door. Before leaving, he gave David one final look that could be considered caring. His blue eyes shined in the dark, not in a light sort of way, but in an emotional sort of way. David could barely see the large grin that Daniel wore; his only indication were the unusually white teeth that gleamed. “Don’t worry David. My family likes living off the grid. It makes their lives so much easier. That being said, they aren’t fond of visitors; you’re gonna have to stay here. Can’t have prying eyes, now can we?”

“I suppose no-” Before David could finish, Daniel slammed the door shut and walked off deep into the woods. David watched him disappear into the long, white birch trees. It was as if they had consumed him completely, the skinny striped branches cruel arms that welcomed the blond into their grasp. David swallowed as he saw rustling in a nearby bush, only for a rabbit to come out. The redhead pushed down on the lock just in case anything would happen.

Oh how he wished Gwen was here to keep him company.

* * *

 

David walked for a good thirty minutes before finally seeing a small abandoned shack with a eye poorly painted on the door. He rolled his eyes at the display; honestly did his followers really think that was enough to scare anyone unlucky enough to stumble upon this shack? And what of the renovations he had ordered in order to accomodate more followers? Really, Daniel would have to teach them a lesson or two in the art of listening. A rather painful one.

He walked up to the door and rapped his knuckles against the wooden door frame, impatiently awaiting for someone to answer. The mat beneath him opened up instead, causing a small yelp to escape from his mouth. He fell until he landed in a cage, pain erupting through him as his weak body slammed against concrete floor. He looked up, flaming anger in his eyes. He was in what he assumed was an underground boiler room. Everything was rusty and old, steam filling up the brown room with orange rust. He was going to slaughter whoever did this to him.

“Ha! We caught a trespasser- Great Cult Leader?”

Someone in a light grey hooded robe stared at him, their face unrecognizable but their trembling body showing the fear that was now running through them. He must have been one of his second in command, otherwise where would he get the robe? Daniel got up and stared the hooded figure down, trying his best to figure out where the man’s eyes where.

“What in the hell is wrong with you?! I come for the sacrificial ceremony to our god and here you are, trying to kill the only prophet who can do it!”

“S-Sir your negative emotions are manifesting…”

“Well of course they’re manifesting! Xemug speaks through me, and right now he is furious that you tried to kill me! I am weak enough as it is, apparently digesting rat poison wasn’t enough!”

“Rat poison…?”

Daniel caught his tongue and frowned more. He sighed and forced a grand smile, sending even more fear through his follower’s body. He sat down and closed his eyes; this was a trick he did to scare his masses. They thought he was speaking to Xemug when in reality he was trying to regain composure. He got up, and motioned to the lock. The man set Daniel free and stood still, awaiting his leader’s instructions.

“Xemug has told me he is very disappointed in how you handled my arrival.”

“But-”

“Ah ah ah. However, Xemug has been in a forgiveful mood as of late. He has decided not to punish you if you aid his earthly leader in health.”

“Anything sir!”

“Well you see… Under orders of Xemüg, I ingested rat poison to reach my own ascension after the recent sacrifice.” Better to lie than look like an idiot, huh Daniel? “ However, Xemüg decided I was not finished with my works so he brought me back from the grasps of death in order to continue. Obviously, I am in need of medication. Bring me something to aid in blood clotting; we should have left over aprotinin from when Sister Margaret tried killing herself with rat poison. How is Sister Margaret by the way?”

“She’s fine. She’s actually one of the proposed sacrifices to reach ascension.”

Daniel’s eyes widened. “Oh no. She won’t do. Let’s replace her with...Brother Hemsworth.”

“Brother Hemsworth hasn’t signed up for-”

“Xemüg says he’s ready and if Xemüg says he’s ready to die, then by Xemüg he shall reach ascension.” Daniel’s neck began to crack, his fists balled up as his smile grew larger. The man took the hint.

“Y-Yes Great Leader.”

"Good. Let’s get ready for the ceremony. Shall we?”

Daniel walked headed towards the door leading out of the boiler room, radiating power and evil. He hadn’t felt this way in such a long time. It was wonderful making people tremble beneath him, showing his true colors of dominance and manipulation. His mind ran back to David and he glowered; the sooner he got rid of that annoying counselor, the sooner he would get back to his wicked ways, playing god and what not.

Really, what could be better than being a cult leader?

 

* * *

Daniel stood and stared in the mirror in front of him, staring at his serious face. He was behind a stage, getting ready for another one of his ‘holy’ speeches. There was a woman behind him, noting his lack of emotion. She was fixing up the suit they had given to him for his presentation, brushing off the small amount of dust that had accumulated from not being in use. She made an effort to converse with him.

“Oh Great Leader, why are you presenting looks of inner turmoil? Is Xemügnot pleased with how we have handled ourselves?”

She was referring to the bunker that they were in. Daniel’s followers had been convinced to raise enough money for a new compound; the last one had been burned to the ground to hide evidence. When Daniel had left to sacrifice the campers, they had decided to spend the money set aside to build an underground bunker. It was glorious in Daniel’s opinion, a well built structure and a marvelous idea, he just wasn’t too interested. He was more interested in the sacrificial part of this cult, not the excessive **divinization**. Once again he grinned and looked at the woman, his smile failing to scare her. Despite this, he continued his facade.

“Xemüg is very pleased. I am just feeling under the weather is all; his recent assignment had put a strain on my physical body.”

“What lengths you go to appease him… It’s admirable.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“And your speech?”

“Don’t worry. That’s child’s play for a visionary like me.”

She smiled and pat his shoulders before reminding him that he had five minutes left before presenting himself to the audience. Daniel cracked his neck to relax himself, not as a sign of anger or annoyance like he usually does. Right before he got out, the hooded man from earlier pulled him back. Daniel shot him a nasty look; he was getting really tired of this man.

“Great Leader, we saw a man in a car not far from here. Is he with you by any chance?”

Leave it to David him to mess with his schedule despite being here.

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, he’s a sacrifice. Just not for tonight. Leave him be- I have something special planned for him.”

Daniel focused his attention back onto the stage in front of him and relaxed, putting on a genuine smile at the thought of tricking these hundreds of people.

He stepped out of the stage, the bright light bathing him with all its glory, kissing his pale skin with it’s artificial shine. The cheering crowned drowned out all negative thoughts he had, allowing him to embrace all the lies he told. At this moment, Daniel believed in Xemüg, he believed in the sacrifices, he believed in himself.

And he also believed there was no better place than here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’ve been trying to get rid of that pesky end note that follows every chapter; my methods haven’t been working. So we’ll see how long that thing stays there. Then again, it just might be a mobile issue.
> 
> This chapter was 5-6k words, so I split it up into two chapters. Updates (as you can see lol) are gonna be a bit slower.


	5. The Kill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who is back from the dead.

“And it is with my great honor, accompanied by the blessings of our great god Xemug, that I announce those ready for ascension!” Daniel threw his arms open towards the crowd, large cheers and screams filling up the underground auditorium. He rose his hand up, palm facing the crowd. The white sleeve sparkled against the light, showing off the faint amount of glitter that was on the formal wear. They quieted down as they saw him, preparing for the small list to be called.

“Before I call out these hard working followers, I would like to remind everyone that you all have a chance to ascend. However, ascension is different for everyone. You could be carefully picked, or you could provide for your own ascension when we have another ritual. Remember our motto my dear disciples!”

“WE SHALL ASCEND!” The roar of the audience brough euphoria to Daniel, dopamine bombarding his nerves like missles on a target. He responded to their screams with a newfound sense of justifiable vigor, his heart pounding so hard it could have popped out off his chest and stained his white tux. 

“Yes! Yes! You SHALL ascend! Everyone of you shall get what’s deserving!” Daniel pointed at the crowd, increasing their roars. If he wasn’t careful, something could slip. At this point though, Daniel was willing to risk everything, his adrenaline coursing through his vein, infecting and retarding his analytical skills. These idiots, trying hard to replace his smile with a malicious sneer, they can’t even see through the double meaning of this sentence. How easy is it to fool the masses!’

“Now arise my people and clap for those who have reaching their ascension!”

The audience stood and cheered, repeating their mantra over and over again as Daniel prepared himself to talk over the crowd.

“Sister Natalie Quins!”

WE SHALL ASCEND!

“Brother Michael Terrin!” 

WE SHALL ASCEND!

“And the last to embrace Xemug’s arms tonight… Brother John Hemsworth!”

WE SHALL ASCEND!

Daniel stood straight and tall, raising his hand once again to silence the masses. The three people stood next to him, a smile on all their faces. Daniel bowed to his crowd and motioned the three to exit the stage. Before he left, he made one final comment.

“May Xemug’s grace be in your favor. I hope to see you all soon on this stage.”

When he got to where the three stood he smiled at them. They were all wearing the ritualistic white clothing needed to reach ascension. Chains were tied around their wrists to symbolize their attachment to the physical world instead of the space like realm they were destined to reach. 

“Nervous my children?”

They all nodded, knowing that it was rude to speak unless told. He smiled at their obedience and motioned them to follow him. Before leaving, he made a point to tell the managers that he was leaving and wouldn’t be coming back. He walked through the underground bunker until they reached a dead end hallway. Slamming his arm against the wall, a small cord fell out from the ceiling. He pulled on it to reveal a small staircase, as if they were walking to an attic. Instead it lead to a dark part of the woods, far from the shack. 

“Come now. Xemug is waiting.”

When they all got out, Daniel continued to walk for another two hours, mentally keeping track of where he was going. He eventually found a nice spot and ordered them to sit down. Grabbing a red powder he had readied just for this occasion, he threw it on the ground, carefully drawing out a pentagram. After muttering some chants, he snapped his fingers, signalizing for the ascenders to take off their hoods. They revealed blindfolded eyes and patient faces. Grabbing them by the shoulders, he set them at one point of the pentagram, placing Michael and Natalie next to each other while John was on the other side. Daniel took out his knife and repeated his chants even louder. Hsi chants were crap he picked up from the internet, all this was was a way to prolong murder. 

The metal blade violently kissed soft skin, leaving marks everywhere.

He slit Natalie’s neck, earning sharp gasps from the woman. He walked across the pentagram, careful not to disrupt it. He then went to Michael and did the same, the man’s gasps a bit louder. Daniel began to yell out his chants and sat down in the middle of the pentagram. He stopped abruptly and looked at John.

“Brother Hemsworth, I shall take off your mask now.”

The man did as he was told, immediately regretting it. His face was drained of color as he saw wat was in front of him. Two dead bodies and a man with a white tux, holding a bloody knife. Daniel grinned and looked at Sister Natalie.

“She strangled her child and got away with it, saying he had ‘got caught’ in the blinds’ cords. She then tried killing her nephew to regain that high, but was acquitted. You want to know why? There wasn’t enough evidence to suggest she did it. Now Michael here was convicted of raping who knows how many teenagers- I think it was at least 3, but was let out on good behavior. Can you believe it?”

Daniel laughed, throwing his knife in the air. Blood splattered everywhere, some of it landing on John’s face. 

“And you… Oh John my boy….Your the worst of the three. Lets run through a quick list of your crimes shall we? If I remeber correctly, your a pharmacist who abused drugs quite heavily. Now that’s not something I usually care for when picking my victims, but in your case I noticed something interesting. Your customers with a specific medication- CureAll I believe- would die with nausea like symptoms. Turns out you were lacing their medication with arsenic. Your a clever man too. Hopping from one pharmacy to another, changing your name and what not. You killed what? Like fifteen people?” Daniel whistled. “Yes...quite clever indeed. Unfortunately your stupid enough to fall for my bullcrap.”

“Bullcrap-?”

“Yes. This is all fake. There is no Xemug, there is no space confederation. I’m just a tactical serial killer who kills jackasses like you after doing lengthy amounts of research. You see, the people I chose to die - not ascend John, but die - are the people I know for sure won’t regret their mistakes. I watch your every movement, I know your stories, I’ve read the files. Your smart, but not as smart as me. Sister Margaret was supposed to be here, but she’s actually changing. She ‘s beginning to regret her actions and I feel as if it’s better for her to live with the pain than for me to kill her. After all, sometimes the worst pain you can experience is the one you inflict upon yourself. Now, let’s get to it shall we? I have to dispose of your bodies quickly. Good thing there’s a deep lake nearby. Heard it's full of fishes to gobble you up. My ride’s probably wondering where I am and I just can’t let my followers think you didn’t ascend. Sorry for not giving you a proper burial! Oh wait… No I’m not.” 

Daniel grabbed the blindfold and stuffed it in the man’s face, raised his knife, and brought it down so hard that blood squirted out of the area and sprayed on David’s face.

\----------------   
Daniel threw the tuxedo into the lake as well, dressing Hemsworth in it. He rolled his body to the edge of a cliff and kicked the body off, smirking as it fell into the deep end of the lake. Under the tux he had his normal clothes, which he dusted off and continued his trek to David’s car. It was a good three hours away. By the time he had arrived it was seven in the morning and David was asleep at the wheel .

Daniel got into the driver's seat, smearing blood all over the steering wheel. He internally cursed. He had forgotten to wash his hands and to worsen his luck, David woke up at the sound of the engine. David stared at his hands in concern and horror, seeing dried splotches of blood all over them.

“David, what happened?”

“Oh a bear tried to attack me.”

David flinched at the word bear.

“Did you kill it?”

Daniel saw the worried look in his eyes, unsure if it was directed to him or the animal.

“Yes...I did.”

A silence fell in the car. “I'm glad you're okay then.” 

Suddenly, David wrapped his arms around Daniel, hugging him tight. Daniel kept his hands up, not wanting to get blood on the red head. Daniel felt rigid against the hug, slowly relaxing as the sense of awkwardness left him. After a couple of minutes, Daniel had decided he had enough and nudged David with his elbow. Pulling away, he saw the red head and looked at him in surprise. 

“Oh Davey...why are you crying?”

There were tears streaming down emerald eyes, pain and worry swirling around them like a storm was going to form. Daniel was sure a dam of tears was going to break out. Internally, like a habit, he felt smug. He had made David cry without even trying. What a baby. But with this smugness there was a bit of guilt, which the sectarian felt; worried at the sudden feeling of remorse. He couldn’t feel remorse for this idiot who almost killed him. In fact, it would be so easy to kill David right now...but he had to stick to the plan. He had to make them all suffer. David hugged Daniel once again, this time ust laying his head against the blond’s chest. 

“You're such a nice guy... I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Danny... what would I do if I lost another friend?” David whispered, more to himself, his head still facing the side.

Another friend? Daniel had have the mind to ask, but decided to exploit David’s pain instead. That'll show his newfound guilt.

“Shh… I'll always be here for you. I won’t ever leave you, pal.”

“Really?”

Daniel gently grabbed David jaw and kissed him. It was a rather slow and gentle kiss on the lips, but despite the short pace, a lot was happening. A wave of carnal affection drowned Daniel, who wanted to do everything. The lust was coming back; his hands twitched, urging to move below. How he wanted to take David and leave him just as fast; a quick sense of euphoria.

David on the other hand was melting. He felt dopamine levels rise high, only to crash hard when the cultist parted away. David gently smacked his lips together, trying to remember how it felt. His heart pounded against his chest and the other male’s blue eyes entranced him. These were the same feeling he had felt for Bonquisha. Despite not looking for a relationship, the relationship had found him; David was growing a crush - an attraction - to Daniel. What a hopeless romantic indeed. Yet, despite Daniel’s pursuit of physical affection, David had this weird feeling that Daniel didn’t truly like him that way. 

Daniel looked in to the emerald eyes that were brimming with tears, a painful smile on te forester’s face. Daniel felt a pang of hurt in the left side of his chest when he stared deep into the boy’s eyes; they reminded him of his mother. So full of love and kindness, so pure and innocent. He ran his fingers through the red head’s hair, trying not to dwell too much on the feelings that were beginning to bubble up inside him, feeling of guilt and longing. 

He forced another cruel smirk and gave another quick kiss to David, who had stopped crying, his eyes closing once again. 

“Yes David, I promise I’ll stay.”

There was a small pause. The crickets were heard and the sun began to rise, drawing it’s light on the landscape as Daniel smiled. 

“Even when you die,” the blond murmured.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story for this fandom. I hope I did this pair justice. 
> 
> Also, I never realized how hard it is to write a cultist.


End file.
